The Life And Work Of Black Lesbian Poet Pat Parker

Details

Out-FM show aired on May 12, 2026  

Press play to stream show or green down arrow to download mp3 file.

Pat Parker Essentail Poems

Essential Poems by Pat Parker

Join us this Tuesday night, May 12, on Out-FM for an in-depth conversation and exploration of the life and work of poet Pat Parker with professors SaraEllen Strongman and Julie Enszer​, to be interviewed by Out-FM's Stahimili Mapp. Pat Parker’s poetry places her squarely in the tradition of the Black feminist lesbian poetry movement of the mid-20th century, in which she critiques patriarchy and expounds on proudly loving women, family relationships around coming out, the Black Arts/Power movements, and more. 

SaraEllen Strongman, Ph.D

SaraEllen Strongman is an assistant professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan.  She researches and teaches in the fields Black Feminism, Africanamerica Literature, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. SaraEllen received her PhD. in Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

SaraEllen’s publications include Essential Poems of Pat Parker, published by Sinister Wisdom, and the forthcoming The Social Life of Black Feminism. Also: "Despite antiabortion campaigns, Black Feminists support abortion rights" (The Washington Post): "The Kentanji Brown Jackson Hearings Showed the Power of Black Sisterhood" (also The Washington Post): and "No More Ms. Nice Girl" (Sinister Wisdom).  

Julie R. Enszer Ph.D.

Julie R. Enszer, Ph.D.

Julie R. Enszer, PhD, is a scholar, editor, and poet. Her scholarly book manuscript, A Fine Bind, is a history of lesbian-feminist presses from 1969 until 2009. Her scholarly work has appeared or is forthcoming in Southern Cultures, Journal of Lesbian Studies, American Periodicals, WSQ, Post45, Frontiers, and other journals.

She is the author of six poetry collections: The Lamed-Vovniks (Indolent Books, 2026), The Pinko Commie Dyke with illustrations by Isabel Paul (Indolent Books, 2024), Avowed (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2016), Lilith’s Demons (A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2015), Sisterhood (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2013) and Handmade Love (A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2010).

She is editor of Fire-Rimmed Eden: Selected Poems by Lynn Lonidier (Sinister Wisdom 2023), OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture, with Elena Gross (Rutgers University Press, 2022), which won a 2023 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Anthology, The Complete Works of Pat Parker (Sinister Wisdom/A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2016), which won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry, Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974-1989 (Sinister Wisdom/A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2018), and Milk & Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry (A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2011), which was a finalist for the 2012 Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry.

Enszer has her MFA and PhD from the University of Maryland. She edits and publishes Sinister Wisdom, a multicultural lesbian literary and art journal, and a regular book reviewer for the The Rumpus and Calyx. She is an Instructional Assistant Professor with the Sarah Isom Center at the University of Mississippi. 

 

Video: https://youtu.be/Vd6onFk08lc?si=vOdcodEBARIinA9A

                        “You Can’t Be Sure of Anything These Days”

Music: https://youtu.be/tZh37I83LEU?si=o9HO-Vfb_I5MKnI4

               Afro Blue: Live In Los Angeles, Dianne Reeves  

-----------------------------------

About Out-FM

Out-FM is a weekly progressive, intersectional queer show by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, gender non-conforming, intersex, queer, and questioning communities. Our program originates from listener-sponsored, noncommercial WBAI/Pacifica Radio in New York, 99.5 FM and wbai.org. Our programs are archived at outfm.org. You can also follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

 

Sign up for Out-FM's Weekly Newsletter with show announcements.

Support us by following, liking and sharing our content on social media. Find us at: